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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · drill · mug · branch · key · pitcher · spring · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mug — a cup
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. spring — the season
  5. branch — a division
  6. field — for sport
  7. drill — army training
  8. key — in music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. key — the most important part
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mug — to rob
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. sharp — clever
  20. field — farmland
  21. key — for a lock
  22. spring — of water
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mug — a face

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com